Thursday, August 27, 2020

Iranian Literary Arts Festival Essay

Social Festivals are generally done to praise conventions and societies of specific submits in request to protect and keep up its essentialness. The celebration I visited was the Iranian Literary Arts Festival at Project Artaud Theater in San Francisco, California at 450 Florida Street last November 17, 2007 created by the Translation Project. It is a celebration of Iranian abstract expressions, which incorporates exercises, for example, film screenings and workmanship displays. In any case, the feature of the occasion is the world debut of Icarus/Rise, a play about the legend of Icarus composed by Niloufar Talebi. Additionally, other Iranian movies were demonstrated practically ordinarily in theaters. With this festival, it shows that the Iraqis like writing, particularly verse and film and they offer significance to it through the exercises directed in this celebration. The contemporary issue here for the Iraqis is that they esteem the products of the Persian culture that is appeared in the Iraqi films screened during the celebration that additionally highlighted scholarly board conversations, craftsmanship sales and function supper. This experience was an astonishment for me with respect to their way of life. I heard a ton about Iraq previously, and they were about wars, self destruction bombings and mercilessness, thus with this celebration, I have seen an alternate side of their nation. Presently I realize that their way of life is wealthy in abstract expressions and that they esteem it. I likewise understood that the abstract fortunes of a nation say a great deal regarding their way of life and their history. Despite the fact that I wasn’t ready to observe the entirety of the films, I have felt the worth they provided for such fortunes. With this experience, I infer that social celebrations assume a huge job in the current day by saving and remembering the way of life of an area, and it additionally encourages the inhabitants become more acquainted with their ancestors since it says a great deal regarding the method of living of the individuals before. I likewise understood that each individual should know the estimation of this merriments, and take part in each social celebrations they can go to in light of the fact that its like a time machine that they can return to the past and remember past times worth remembering of their locale. Reference Iranian Literary Arts Festival. November 18, 2007. Recovered from http://www. sfgate. com/postings/occasion. php? events,e263149 The Translation Project. November 18, 2007. Recovered from http://thetranslationproject. organization/

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Destruction of the American Dream Essay examples -- Knowledge Dreams S

Pulverization of the American Dream I’ve discussed it previously, the devastation of the American Dream. Continuously, there have been papers, compositions, and contemplations that measure a specific segment of its definitive death, be it because of cash, training, or sexuality. Possibly the devastation can't be seen as a particular occasion or cause. Maybe rather it must be analyzed in general procedure, the rot and extreme end of a fantasy. Self devastation, in the event that you will†¦ Mr. Fall to pieces In each one of us, there is a duality of presence which takes into consideration the American Dream to be inside our psyches. Some portion of the brain puts stock in the fantasy, is gulped up by its dream and flawlessness, while the other part is the shouting voice of reality that attempts to uncover it for the falsehood that it is. More often than not, such a voice as the second is driven away, covered up, and disregarded, yet it is consistently there, sitting in the rear of the psyche, making its proprietor frantic. Our falsehoods spread such a large number of ranges thus numerous features of life, centering around the joys that keep the dream genuine in our psyches. The joy goes to control us, on the grounds that without it we would see the truth of our turned world. It takes us where we need to go, and gives us what we need to know. A machine that benefits from want, sex, drugs, cash, thus numerous different things, and that delivers a phony kind of joy so effectively that it shrouds its own reality, however makes us need for it to be there and battle to ensure it. Obliviousness is rapture, and information is annihilation. Piggy One of the essential energizes of the machine of deceptions is realism and cash. They are the most effectively anticipated pictures of achievement and power and in that capacity, become th... ...oms of two broken perspectives. One of them might want to kick back and sit idle, while the other might want to end it all. What we need, is to build up a method of imagined that avoids the other two. A method of respect that leads down a way less voyaged, a way that prompts valid satisfaction and genuine progress. The way is hard, the way is long, and nothing is ever simple, however diligence will achieve a real existence that is valid. With trust, go forward into the world and make the best of yourself. Don’t permit the world to disclose to you how to do it. Discover the route for yourself. Works Cited Anyon, Jean. â€Å"From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work† in Rereading America, Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds. Gatto, John Taylor. â€Å"The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher† in Rereading America, Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Guest Authors Of HellBound Bloggers June 2011

Guest Authors Of HellBound Bloggers â€" June 2011 Make Money Online Queries? Struggling To Get Traffic To Your Blog? Sign Up On (HBB) Forum Now!Guest Authors Of HellBound Bloggers â€" June 2011Updated On 23/04/2017Author : Pradeep KumarTopic : Editorial FeaturedShort URL : http://hbb.me/2ozeU4S CONNECT WITH HBB ON SOCIAL MEDIA Follow @HellBoundBlogJune 2011 was quite sad and interesting for me, last 15 days I was out of town for vacation, so moderating HBB was quite tedious. I missed lots of guest posts, but you can see them this month. Most of the guest authors are new to the community, hope they enjoyed writing for HBB.#1 Guest Blogging: So Why Should You Care?#2 You Blog. Should You Guest Blog?This month we had good number of Guest Authors, and Im damn sure you would have enjoyed all their lovely articles. Some authors even contributed 2-3 articles, which I really appreciate.Some of them are new to HBB Community, hope they enjoyed their stay! This article is also to ensure all the HBB readers are aware about our precious gue st authors. ??#1 Chris Marentis : Chris Marentis writes from experience about lead generation, closing the sale and leveraging social media. He is the founder and CEO for a local internet marketing company Surefire Social, a resource for local search marketingArticle : HOW TO: Determine The Best Social Media Platforms For Your Business and Valuing Prospects Through Email Marketing#2 Fazal Mayar : Fazal Mayar, the blogger behind Richer Or Not. You can follow Fazal on Twitter @fazalmayar.Article(s) : 5 Things You Must Not Do As A Blogger and 3 Rules To Follow Before You Make Money Blogging#3 Ifham Khan : Ifham Khan Author of www.geekspalace.com and www.dailytechtips.co.cc. Ifham khan is a alpha geek and technology analyst.Working on internet technology and marketing from approximately 8 years.Article(s) : 5 More Simple Tips To Increase Twitter Followers, You Should ALSO Write Killer Articles Sometimes and 7 Tips To Be A Hero On Blog Commenting#4 Chirag Jobanputra : Chiraj Jobanput ra is passionate about e-commerce and digital marketing. Co-founder at 39Shops.comArticle : Open Source Vs SaaS e-Commerce Platform#5 Nikita Mishra : Nikita Mishra is 16 years old girl. She is a blogger. She is the author of http://lovelyblogging.cc.cc/. She writes about blogging, internet,seo,gadgets,twitter and facebook based tips,tricks and news.Article : Trace All Your Social Network Statistics For FreeREADTop Commentators Award For July 2011#6 Aman Arora : Founder and Editor in Chief of The Tech Addicts Co-founder and Administrator of Asian Hackers. Doing engineering in computer science from World Institute of Technology, Gurgaon.Article : 10 Free Android Apps That You Should Try and Convert Your Android Phone Into An IP Camera#7 Irfan Siddiqui : Irfan blogs at RealTimeTricks where he helps others with blogging tips, tech news, gadget tips and other great updates. Follow him on twitter via @RealTimeTricks to keep in touch with him.Article : Simple Steps To Delete Apps On iPh one#8 Jane Sheeba : Jane is the founder and author of Find All Answers which is a multi-niche blog on Blogging Tips, Relationships and Self Improvement.Article : 5 Tips To Market Your Content Effectively#9 Praveen Sivaraman : Praveen Sivaraman is the Editor-in-Chief and CEO of Techperk. An Engineering Graduate with a passion for technology, a knack for writing and most importantly addicted to BloggingArticle : 7 Best Tips To Keep Your Gmail Account Secure#10 Usman : Usman is the co-owner of Firsthosting, a company that provide cheap Shared, Reseller and Alpha Master Reseller Hosting since 2007 and love to do their work.Article : Green Web Hosting [Simple Guide]#11 Sandeep Tripathy : Sandeep Tripathy is the founder of the Sandeep Tripathy Ventures which owns great start ups such as Axetue and Shawntimes.Article : Hacker Group LulzSec Theme Song [VIDEO]#12 Zubin : ZK is the co-founder of Web Marketing Blog where accomplished writers and bloggers share their tips, strategies and stories. Follow him on Twitter @webtrafficroiArticle : 5 Useful Tips To Create Unique Authoritative Blog#13 Muhammad Haseeb Javed : He is a a teenager and addict to the internet. His favourite subject is Hacking/Security about which he blogs. He Blog @ www.hackthepc.blogspot.comArticle : Simple Tips To Secure Your Facebook AccountIf you wish to be a part of HBB, you can become a guest author by contributing Guest Posts. Do check Join HBB and Guest Blogging Rules. Cheers.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Teaching The Bible Interview / Book Reflections

James Donley Teaching the Bible Interview/Book Reflections After speaking with Tarah, a Director of Children’s Ministry, I was able to glean a number of insightful critiques of today’s children’s ministry. Between the reading from class and our conversation three topics stood out; the watered down children’s gospel, the tendency to always tell children the story without letting them experience it, and the overall structure of children’s lessons and children’s Bibles. Gretchen Wolff Pritchard wrote, â€Å"We must not give them a God who turns out to be just another grown-up— who says â€Å"There, there† without really listening to their fears of the monsters under the bed, who cares only about whether or not they are being â€Å"good.† We must not keep†¦show more content†¦Too often we want to teach the kids by telling them the story and the application without giving them a chance to experience it for themselves. She said that too often does she find herself going thro ugh lesson plans of solid text that is to be recited to the children telling them how they should think, feel, then act. â€Å"This limits the lesson, and takes away the opportunity for the children to invest themselves.† Pritchard agrees and states, â€Å"The Sunday school, on the other hand, has felt compelled to explain everything and thus to rob children of the opportunity to work out the meaning of the stories for themselves.† This ends with children who may know the story but not actually understand it. The last topic dealt with the overall structure of children’s lessons and children’s Bibles. Both Pritchard and Tarah were let down by how Children’s Bibles were structured. They seemed to favor certain stories over others and in many cases skip over sections of scripture. Pritchard notes that â€Å"The great hymns of Philippians and Colossians, the glory of the cross, the images of baptism, adoption, the Body of Christ, the great High Priest , the communion of saints, are utterly absent.† Tarah also notes that many of Paul’s letters, aside from Romans, tend to be down played. While this may be trying to take into account what a child is capable of understanding or retaining, it also, once again, limits the child and gives them an incomplete biblical understanding. I was

Thursday, May 14, 2020

The Effect Of Inflation On The Economy - 822 Words

Some variables in Economics are very close related to each other. In many cases, the combination of these variables can cause an unexpected effect on the economy. One of these examples can be observed using the Phillips Curve. This curve can be used as a tool to represent the inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment in the short-run. In order to comprehend this inverse relationship, we must first know what inflation is, how we define unemployment, and how these two variables are connected using the Phillip Curve. If we understand the meaning of each one of these variables in the economy, it will be easier to comprehend the logic of a short-run tradeoff between unemployment and inflation. Inflation, in the economic, can be described as the sustained increase in the level price of goods and services over a period of time. The effects of inflation can be diverse in the economy. It can affect the economy in positives and negatives ways. One of the negative way in which inflation affects the economy is that it increases the opportunity cost of holding money, in others words, it decreases the real value of money. A high and prolonged rate of inflation can also discourage saving and investment. Inflation is told to occur when there is an excessive increase in the money supply. Although, an excessive money supply does not necessarily causes inflation. Among the positive effects of inflation in the economy, we can talk about that it allows the central bank toShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Inflation On The Economy1572 Words   |  7 Pagesexactly inflation is, what its effects on an economy are, and what the root causes of inflation are. Rampant inflation is very damaging to an economy and can have long lasting effects on the country and the World financial markets. Because of globalization the world is more interconnected than ever and in turn no economy is fully insulated from disruptions to the global markets. The difference between inflation and hyperinflation is also discussed. As the title states, inflations damaging effects on savingRead MoreInflation And Its Effect On The Economy1197 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Inflation is an aspect of macroeconomic instability and is a rise in the general level of prices in an economy. When inflation occurs, every dollar of income buys fewer goods and services than before and reduces the purchasing power of money. Inflation doesn’t always mean all prices are rising, and during periods of rapid inflation some prices may be constant and others may fall. It is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the two types are demand-pull and cost-push, and affectsRead MoreInflation And Its Effect On The Economy1217 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Inflation is another aspect of macroeconomic instability and is a rise in the general level of prices in an economy. When inflation occurs, each dollar of income will buy fewer goods and services than before and reduces the purchasing power of money. **Inflation does not mean that all prices are rising and during periods of rapid inflation, some prices may be relatively constant while others may fall. Almost all prices are set by supply and demand, and if the economy experiences inflationRead MoreEffects Of Inflation On The Economy1212 Words   |  5 Pagesinfluences that cause inflation such as energy, food, commodities, and other goods and services. The entire economy is affected by rise of the cost of living. It also affects the cost of operating a business, borrowing money, mortgages, corporate and government bond yields, and every other aspect of the economy. There are several advantages of inflation in the economy. Some include moderate rates of inflation which allows price s to adjust. This is considered a sign of a healthy economy. With economic growthRead MoreInflation And Its Effect On The Economy1200 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Inflation is another aspect of macroeconomic instability and is a rise in the general level of prices in an economy. When inflation occurs, every dollar of income will buy fewer goods and services than before and reduces the purchasing power of money. Inflation doesn’t always mean all prices are rising, and during periods of rapid inflation some prices may be constant and others may fall. Measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the two types are demand-pull and cost-push, andRead MoreInflation And Its Effect On The Economy1617 Words   |  7 PagesInflation is defined as the sustained increase in the general price levels of goods and services over a period of time. When the price level rises, each unit of a currency purchases fewer goods and services, reflecting a reduction in purchasing power per unit of currency. Every economy experiences inflation through the business cycle, which is defined as the natural fluctuation in economic activity between inflation (expansio n), and recession (contraction). Inflation is not necessarily a negativeRead MoreInflation And Its Effect On The Economy1532 Words   |  7 PagesInflation is the rate in which the prices and services are rising above zero percent, which involves a declining value in the power of currency. While deflation is when the inflation rate goes below zero, making it a negative inflation rate. â€Å"Inflation has a direct impact on the investment environment; a rising or declining inflation rate can shift the balance of investment returns between stock, bonds, and other alternatives† (Little, 2010). An economy having zero inflation will eventually resultRead MoreInflation And Its Effects On The Economy2825 Words   |  12 PagesGlobal economy has been changing significantly in past several decades which has been affected by the goods and services in the national borders leading to the movement of the country up and down in the international system economically. The economy of the co untry is strictly hit by two important factors that are: deflation and inflation. Deflation can be defined as the decrease in the price of the goods or services provided. In the other hand, inflation can be defined as the increase in the priceRead MoreThe Effects Of Inflation On The Economy1129 Words   |  5 Pagesago, many economists did not believe that inflation –the escalation of prices that makes the money to be less valuable in the market- (Newnan, Eschenbach, Lavelle, 2014) could rise together with unemployment because they stood in the wide belief of a direct relation between economic growth and employment. That is to say that when the nation’s economy is in its healthy moments, the rate of unemployment will decrease, and in the other part the inflation will increase because people have more incomeRead MoreThe Effects of Inflation in Malaysian Economy Essay645 Words   |  3 PagesInvestment will drop because inflation. There may be greater uncertainty for both firms and households when inflation. Firms become unsure of what their costs will be and what prices they will receive from selling their products in the future so may be reluctant to invest. The good timing for company to grow their business is when the economic conditions is at low inflation (Inflation, n.d.). This is easy for businesses to have a well planning for their activities and investments. Most of the time

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Scene Analysis in A Midsummer Nights Dream - 851 Words

‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and successful plays. The play was part of Shakespeare’s early work. It was written and performed around 1595. ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ is a romantic comedy play; and that’s what I will be focusing on how Shakespeare creates humour in act 5 scene 1. So how does he create humour? There are many ways as to how Shakespeare creates humour; one of the main reasons is through the characters. There are there sets of characters the fairies, court and the mechanicals in this case it’s the mechanicals. The mechanicals are normal workers that want to become actors. They are uneducated, you can tell this because Bottom (mechanical) says in act 4 scene 2 line 20 â€Å"Where are these lads?†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Theseus comments on the childish actors by saying â€Å"His speech was like a tangled chain, nothing impaired, but all disordered.† Act 5 scene, lines 123-124. This shows that because of Quince’s lack of education he cannot send the right information he wants to send to the audience. Due to the bumpy start of the play the court had already created a comical atmosphere. All of this entertainment and amuses the audience (both in the play and watching the play). The themes of this play are mostly to do with love and magic however the play as a whole is a comedy. The magic scene is the scene that brings the whole play together. Without it the lovers would not be called lovers and there wouldn’t be a marriage. Before Puck put the love potion on them Lysander was in love with Hermia but her dad wanted her to marry Demetrius; and Helena was in love with Demetrius and Demetrius was in love with Hermia. Puck sorted things out by putting a love potion on Demetrius so that he falls in love with Helena. The funny part about it all is when they are all confused when they awake from what they think is a dream which is a dramatic irony because we know it wasn’t a dream but in fact a reality. One of the ways Shakespeare creates humour in the mechanicals performance is with the usage of props. Through Shakespeare’s intelligent writing skills he sends a strong message that there is a man playing a wall. This is funny because Snout(playing the wall) actually has a speechShow MoreRelatedThe Antagonist, S hakespeare1405 Words   |  6 Pagesantagonists can be especially exciting.†(Hansen) Shakespeare develops his antagonists in a way that makes them interesting to the audience and does so especially well in his plays Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hamlet. Each play has an antagonist, or something near one in the case of Midsummer Night’s Dream, but the villains can be very different from one another and strikingly alike depending on the situation. Shakespeare’s creation of profound antagonists helps the audience to identify withRead MoreWillima Shakespeares, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Unbalanced Love835 Words   |  3 PagesEverything is arranged for their escape and all is well until Helena enters the scene. Hermia is overjoyed with Lysander’s brilliant plan to run away and she had to tell someone right away, so when Helena walks in the room, Hermia explains the entire plan to her. Helena expresses her jealousy of Hermia; Helena is jealous of Hermia because Demetrius loves her and she is gorgeous. The famous â€Å"love square† begins at this scene. Both men, Lysander and Demetrius, love Hermia, but Hermia only loves LysanderRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream And Fool1401 Words   |  6 Pageshelp them achieve this purpose? Through an in-depth analysis of Shakespeare’s arguably two most famous fools, Puck (Robin Goodfellow) from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Fool in King Lear; an argument can be made that the scope of the fool goes far beyond being solely a comedic figure. Using a Shakespearean comedy and tragedy as evidence, this essay will make a case that Shakespearean fools can make horrific or potentially confusing or ambiguous scenes more understandable, and serve as a guide to theRead MoreWhy Did Freud Use Oedipis As Basis?1355 Words   |  6 Pagesshe must tell these to keep herself and everyone sage. For example, when Gertrude tewlls the king of Poloniusâ⠂¬â„¢ murder at the hands of Hamlet, she does what she can to protect her son, falsely claiming that he ‘weeps for what is done’ In the opening scenes of Hamlet, a significant change in the family dynamic has just occired with the inclusion of Claudius in place of Hammlet’s father. This causes tension as to become a man Hamlet must takke on the characteristics of his father and he has to chooseRead MoreEssay on A Midsummer Nights Dream: Critical Analysis3103 Words   |  13 PagesMandy Conway Mrs. Guynes English 12 16 March 2000 A Critical Analysis of quot;A Midsummer Nights Dreamquot; William Shakespeare, born in 1594, is one of the greatest writers in literature. He dies in 1616 after completing many sonnets and plays. One of which is quot;A Midsummer Nights Dream.quot; They say that this play is the most purely romantic of Shakespeares comedies. The themes of the play are dreams and reality, love and magic. This extraordinary play is a play-with-in-a-play, whichRead MoreA Midsummer Nights Dream: Bottom1466 Words   |  6 PagesA Midsummer Nights Dream: Nick Bottom In a Mid Summer Nights Dream, the character Nick Bottom is given a rather prominent role in the several scenes he appears in, although he is not a lead character in the play. Bottom is unique from all the other characters of the play not only because of the considerable contribution his character brings to the comedic value of the play, but because he is the only character able to enter fully in to both the human world and the world of the fairies. In thisRead MorePerfect Idealism In Shakespeares Hamlet1631 Words   |  7 Pagesthe condition of Hamlet s soul by viewing him. The play just depicts the many uncertainties in our lives that sometimes make us fail to act appropriately like the case of Hamlet. 2. Mosley, Joseph Scott. The Dilemma of Shakespearean Sonship: An Analysis of Paternal Models of Authority and Filial Duty in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Diss. 2017. Similarly, this article discusses the theme of the complexity of action. This play depicts of how at times the decision to act is usually influenced not only byRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1231 Words   |  5 Pagesplay†, i.e a play where the author stagged, at some time, an other theater play inside this one. Many of his plays can be qualified as â€Å"plays within plays† and espacially Hamlet and A Midsummer Night s Dream. Therefore, it is interesting to study these plays to know – and learn – more about this process. I) Act III scene 2 Hamlet is undoubtly one of the Shakespeare s most famous plays which was written between 1598 and 1601. It relates the story of Hamlet – the eponymous character – whose fatherRead MoreThe Theme Of Homo Eroticism Within The Play As You Like It And How It Differs From Various Other3688 Words   |  15 Pages Within this analysis, I will inquire into the theme of homo-eroticism within the play As You Like It and how it differs from various other plays written by Shakespeare and elaborate on how ground-breaking this play was during the time it was written and when it was performed, the differences in social constructs between then and now the differing views of society in the time it was written and the present day. As You Like Its first performance was in London in 1740, a time when popular literatureRead MoreLeadership Analysis: Dead Poets Society2935 Words   |  12 PagesLeadership Analysis: Dead Poet’s Society Leadership is defined as the ability to guide, direct or influence people, but it is much more than that. There are many ways to merely guide or direct. A leader is someone whose personality helps them to guide a group of people in a direction they believe is desirable. People want to follow the leader, but they are perfectly free not to. A leader guides people by the infectious nature of their vision. Leadership and authority are not the same thing

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Blanche free essay sample

# 8217 ; s Psychological Breakdown Essay, Research Paper In Tennesse Williams # 8217 ; play, A Streetcar Named Desire the readers are introduced to a character named Blanche DuBois. In the secret plan, Blanche is Stella # 8217 ; s younger sister who has come to see Stella and her hubby Stanley in New Orleans. After their first meeting Stanley develops a strong disfavor for Blanche and everything associated with her. Among the things Stanley disfavors about Blanche are her spoiled-girl manners and her indirect and mocking manner of discoursing. Stanley besides believes that Blanche has conned him and his married woman out of the household sign of the zodiac. In his sentiment, she is a good-for-naught bloodsucker that has attached itself to his family, and is merely populating off him. Blanche # 8217 ; s womb-to-tomb wont of avoiding unpleasant worlds leads to her dislocation as seen in her irrational response to decease, her dependence, and her inability to support herself from Stanley # 8217 ; s onslaughts. Blanche? s state of affairs with her hubby is the key to her ulterior behaviour. She married instead early at the age of 16 to whom a male child she believed was a perfect gentleman. He was sensitive, understanding, and civilized much like herself coming from an blue background. She was genuinely in love with Allen whom she considered perfect in every manner. Unfortunately for her he was a homosexual. As she caught him 1 flushing in their house with an older adult male, she said nil, allowing her incredulity to construct up inside her. Sometime later that flushing, while the two of them were dancing, she told him what she had seen and how he disgusted her. Immediately, he ran off the dance floor and shooting himself, with the gunfire everlastingly remaining in Blanche? s head. After that twenty-four hours, Blanche believed that she was truly at mistake for his self-destruction. She became promiscuous, seeking a replacement work forces ( particularly immature male childs ) , for her dead hubby, believing that she failed him sexually. Gradually her repute as a prostitute built up and everyone in her place town knew about her. Even for military forces at the near-by ground forces base, Blanche # 8217 ; s house became out-of-bounds. Promiscuity though wasn # 8217 ; t the lone job she had. Many of the aged household members died and the funeral costs had to be covered by Blanche # 8217 ; s modest wage. The deceases were long, belittling and atrocious on person like Blanche. She was forced to mortgage the sign of the zodiac, and shortly the bank repossessed it. At school, where Blanche taught English, she was dismissed because of an incident she had with a seventeen-year-old pupil that reminded her of her late hubby. Even the direction of the hotel Blanche stayed in during her concluding yearss in Laurel, asked her to go forth because of the all the different work forces that had been seeing at that place. All of this, cumulatively, weakened Blanche, turned her into an alcoholic, and lowered her mental stableness bit-by-bit. Her hubby # 8217 ; s decease affects her greatly and determines her behaviour from so on. Having lost Allan, who meant so much to her, she is blinded by the visible radiation and from so on neer visible radiations anything stronger than a subdued taper. This behaviour is apparent when she foremost comes to Stella # 8217 ; s and puts a paper lantern over the light bulb. Towards the terminal, when the physician comes for Blanche and she says she forgot something, Stanley hands her her paper lantern. Even Mitch notices that she can non stand the pure visible radiation, and hence garbages to travel out with him during the daylight or to good illume topographic points. Blanche herself says I can # 8217 ; t stand a bare visible radiation bulb any more than # 8230 ; . A hatred for bright visible radiation International Relations and Security Network # 8217 ; t the merely impact on Blanche after Allan # 8217 ; s decease # 8211 ; she needs to make full her empty bosom, and so she turns to a life style of one-night-stands with aliens. She tries to soothe herself from non being able to fulfill Allan, and so Blanche makes an attempt to fulfill aliens, believing that they need her and that she can # 8217 ; t neglect them like she failed Allan. At the same clip she turns to alcohol to avoid the ferociousness of decease. The intoxicant seems to ease her through the memories of the dark of Allan # 8217 ; s decease. Overtime the memory comes back to her, the musical melody from the incident doesn # 8217 ; t terminal in her head until she has something alky to imbibe. All of these irrational responses to decease seem to mean how Blanche # 8217 ; s head is unstable, and yet she tries to still be the educated, well-bred, and attractive individual that Mitch foremost sees her as. She tries to non allow the awfulness come out on top of her image, desiring in an illusory and charming universe alternatively. The life she desires though is non what she has and ends up with. Blanche is really dependent coming to Stella from Belle Reve with less than a dollar in alteration. Having been fired at school, she resorts to harlotry for fundss, and even that does non do her. She has no pick but to come and populate with her sister ; Blanche is stateless, out of money, and can non acquire a occupation due to her repute in Laurel. Already in New Orleans, one time she meets Stanley, Blanche is driven to acquire out of the house. She needs acquire off from Stanley for she feels that a Kowalski and a DuBois can non coexist in the same family. Her lone resort to acquire out, though, is Mitch. She so realizes how much she demands Mitch. When asked by Stella, Whether Blanche wants Mitch, Blanche replies I want to rest # 8230 ; breathe softly once more! Yes-I want Mitch # 8230 ; if it happens # 8230 ; I can go forth here and non be anyone # 8217 ; s job # 8230 ; . This demonstrates how dependent she is on Mitch, and accordingly Blanche attempts to acquire him to get married her. There is though Stanley who stands between her and Mitch. Stanley is a realist and can non stand the elusive doll Blanche , finally destructing her along with her semblances. Blanche can non defy his onslaughts. Before her, Stanley # 8217 ; s family was precisely how he wanted it to be. When Blanche came about and imbibe his spirits, bathed in his bathing tub, and posed a menace to his matrimony, he acted like a crude animate being that he was, traveling by the rule of the endurance of the fittest . Blanche already weakened by her agonizing yesteryear did non have much of a opportunity against him. From their first meeting when he realized she lied to him about imbibing his spirits, he despised her. He attacked her phantasies about the rich fellow at a clip when she was most emotionally unstable. He had fact over her word and forced her to convince herself that she did non portion with Mitch in a friendly mode. Further, he went on inquiring her for the physical wire to convert him that she did have it. When Blanche was unable to supply it, he wholly destroyed her phantasies, stating her how she was the worthless Queen of the Nile posing, on her throne and sloping down his spirits. This wild rebuttal by Stanley she could non perchance take, merely as she could non confront a bare visible radiation bulb. Further when Stanley went on to ravish her, he wholly diminished her mental stableness. It was non the existent colza that represents the causes for her following lunacy, but the fact that she was raped by a adult male who represented everything unacceptable to her. She couldn # 8217 ; t manage being so closely exposed to something that she has averted and diluted all of her life # 8211 ; world, pragmatism, and colza by a adult male who knew her, destroyed her, and in the terminal made her something of his. She could non perchance efficaciously rebut against him in forepart of Stella. Blanche # 8217 ; s past and present actions A ; behaviour, in the terminal, even in Stella # 8217 ; s eyes depicted her as an insane individual. All of Blanche # 8217 ; s problems with Stanley that in the terminal left her in a mental establishment could hold been avoided by her. Stanley and she would have gotten along better if she would hold been frank with him during their first brush. Blanche made a sedate error by seeking to move like a lady, or seeking to be what she thought a lady ought to be. Stanley, being every bit crude as he was, would hold liked her better if she was honest with him about imbibing his spirits. Blanche ever felt she could give herself to aliens, and so she did seek to chat up with Stanley at foremost. After all like she said to Stella Honey, would I be here if the adult male weren # 8217 ; t married? , Stanley did catch her eyes at first. But being viciously raped by him in the terminal destroyed her because he was non a starnger, he knew her, he made her face world, and in a manner he exposed her to the bright aglow visible radiation she could non stand all her life.

Friday, April 10, 2020

Implementing 5S Concept in Warehouse Management free essay sample

xThe practice of 5S aims to embed the values of organization, neatness, cleaning, standardization and discipline into the workplace (Osada, 1991). Besides, the 5S concept also widely apply into warehouse management because the 5S concept are emphasize on the effective organize and arrangement of the item in the warehouse in order to eliminate the unnecessary items from the warehouse for improve the efficiency of the storage methods. The implementation of 5S concept also can uncover hidden problems that may have otherwise remained unnoticed. According to Rod Gapp, Ron Fisher and Kaoru Kobayashi (2008), the benefit and advantages of implementing the 5S can be summarize as follow: †¢Orderliness (seiri and seiton) – can maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the warehouse operation, productivity and cycle time performance by reducing the employees workload and human errors through simplify the process in the material handling in order to reduce the warehouse order cycle time and increase inventory turnover. We will write a custom essay sample on Implementing 5S Concept in Warehouse Management or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Cleanliness (seiso and seiketsu) to maximize effectiveness by contributing to a healthier life, safety and wellbeing as well as enhancing transparency. The comfortable working condition can motivate the employees to work hard for the company that can directly increase the warehouse productivity performance. In addition, the cleanliness of the warehouse can prevent the pollution cases from happening to care for the welfare and right of the employees that working in the warehouse. Moreover, the cleanliness and well arrangement of the inventory can directly increase the transparency because all the inventory are visible for reduce the stealing cases, increase the put away and inventory accuracy. †¢Discipline (shitsuke) – through continuous training and education to the employees can enhance their morale, knowledge, and skills which lead to increased quality of work life and work standards (Osada, 1991). The training program to the employees can directly increase the productivity of he warehouse because the employees are adapted to the effective skills in material handling and they can eliminate the unnecessary step in order to improve the warehouse order cycle time and reach to the cost effectiveness. The well discipline among the employees can increase the unity level among the employees that come from various departments and finally eliminate the communication barrier among them that lead to the well interaction among them. There are 5 elements in the 5S concept that should be implementing by the company in order to improve the performance of the warehouse and achieve costs effectiveness. These 5 elements in 5S concept will be discussed and summarize as follow: †¢Sort – (Seiri) The first S focused on eliminating unnecessary items from the warehouse to increase the space utilization of the warehouse because the cost space of the warehouse is very expensive that including the utilities, wages of employees, and insurances costs. The products was placed strategically so that heavy products could be picked first and smaller lighter items picked last, in order to eliminate the need to restack pallets and avoid any accident to occur. The walk paths were set up in the warehouse with no loop back during order picking to complete an order. Man up order pickers were used to eliminate the need for ladders, and to assist with order picking from level 2 and 3. †¢Set In Order (Seiton) The second S focuses on efficient and effective storage methods. Racking was purchased and erected in the warehouse to increase the available space in the warehouse and wide aisles is very important to allow fast movement for picking and replenishment (and use all available space) and to support the ability to use all materials handling equipment in all areas of the warehouse in order to increase put away accuracy and minimize the physical effort during material handling process. †¢Shine (Seiso) The third S is to thoroughly clean the warehouse and this elements are strongly emphasize that all racking were fixed to the floor and each location was labeled. No product was allowed in the aisles and no product was allowed into the pick face from bulk until all stretch wrap was removed. Pyramid picking was not allowed and the cleanliness of the warehouse is the responsibility of all the staffs in the warehouse. The staffs in the warehouse are requiring cleaning the floor with an electric sweeper and not a broom and everyone takes turns as part of their duties. †¢Standardize (Seiketsu) –The fourth S is standardizing practice in warehouse in order to maintain the first three Ss. Organization, orderliness, and cleanliness are maintained and made habitual by instituting those duties into regular work routines. The methods need to be standardized and followed company-wide. Once the first three Ss are in place, standardize the details and create a plan to maintain and continue improving everything. This plan should include creating procedures and simple daily checklists, which are posted very visibly in each work area. The checklist should serve as a visual reminder to ensure that the daily 5S requirements are being met. Sustain (Shitsuke) The fifth â€Å"S† (Sustain) allows an organization to sustain the 5S program due to the human nature is to resist change and some companies implement 5S for several months only to find themselves soon back to their previous habits. To make 5S work, it is critical that performance is measured and that top management is committed to ensure that 5S becomes part of the company culture, makes periodic walk through inspecti ons, audits and posts results.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Death in Vienna essays

Death in Vienna essays The holocaust, which took place between 1941 and 1945, refers to the organized genocide of millions of jews in Nazi controlled Europe. An efficient system was established to see through what is known as the final solution. Prior to the end of the war, many Nazis knew of the impending punishment for their crimes angainst humanity and fled. Others were able to effectively cover their tracks and continue to live normal lives indifferent of the atrocities in which they were active participants. A Death in Vienna is a novel about how the crimes of the holocaust reverberate in the modern day. While the holocaust kills approximately 6 million european jews, it did not successfully kill them all. When the war comes to an end many of the survivors are left with no family, in the middle of remote places. Instictively, many of these people decide to return home only to find that other people have come to inhabit their home. Among these people is Max Klein. A talanted violinist, Max manages to survive the holocaust and move back to his home in Vienna. Max lives there for the rest of his life and in his elderly years frequents a coffee shop where he discusses politics with another patron, Henirich Vogel. Klein, however, recognizes Vogel as a commander at a concentration camp who mercilessly killed innocent people. Klein is hurt that vogel is not forced to face repurcussions for his actions. Although Vogel may have commited the crime many years ago, and although vogel is now a changed man, klein is disturbed that such heinous crimes would go unpunished. The effects of the holocaust are not limited to victims themselves but also the desendants of victims. The main character, Gabriel Allon, decides at first to find out who Vogel really is (as his identity has been changed) for max klein. Later, Allon recognizes Vogel from his mothers artwork as the man who had threatened her life and killed her best friends. Allon blam ...

Saturday, February 22, 2020

What should young people be taught about theatre and what principles Assignment - 1

What should young people be taught about theatre and what principles should guide the padagogy - Assignment Example The Department of Culture, Media and Sports Taking Part Survey found that only 36% from the previous 55% of primary schools students attend after school music lessons; and for theatre and drama classes, the number of students dropped from 49% to 33%. Finally, for dance lessons, the number of students decreased from 29% from 45% (Lyons, 2014, para.1). Giving less priority to cultural education can be saddening, and this is echoed by Harriet Harman, Shadow culture secretary who lamented that the future talents of Britain are being robbed. She explained: â€Å"Taking part in art and culture is a vital part of a child’s education and helps them develop their full potential. But we are seeing a serious fall in the amount of art and culture children are able to take part in.† (Lyons, 2014, para. 7). This just emphasises the value of informing people about the importance of including Cultural Education in the school curriculum. Henley (2012) advocates it because cultural education allows children to gain necessary knowledge through the learning of facts. Children develop an understanding of culture by developing their critical faculties and skills through their active involvement in various art forms and activities related to these. However, cultural education does not get as much priority as literacy and numeracy. The National Curriculum emphasizes the development of academic skills more than the arts so schools focus on Math and Reading so that students can perform well in standardized tests. It is my opinion that the arts should get the same attention in the curriculum since it addresses the strengths of some students who may not be as skilled in the academic subjects. According to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory (1983), all people have something to excel at, and being smart above the rest is not limited to those who do exceptionally well academically. It is comforting to think that

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Renewable Energy Generation in Scotland Assignment

Renewable Energy Generation in Scotland - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that the amount of renewable energy generated in Scotland is increasing day by day, with onshore-wind energy being the single largest contributor. The present trends in renewable energy generation indicate that it would technically be feasible to achieve the Scottish Executive’s target of 40% energy generation from a range of renewable resources by 2020. While renewable energy generation will undoubtedly help meet Scotland’s commitment to addressing climate change, it also places a lot of constraints on the existing grid and power distribution system due to the intermittent generation of electricity from wind-mills, which calls for adequate interconnectivity build-up of the Scottish grid with its neighboring grid systems besides necessitating the introduction and implementation of energy storage and demand side management technologies. In addition to onshore-wind, other renewable technologies such as offshore-wind, wave and ti dal energy also hold out promises of energy generation though to lesser degrees. This paper attempts to address some of the basic issues in renewable energy generation as applicable to the Scottish context. The influence of renewable energy generation on demand management, the effect of rise or fall in renewable energy generation on the Scottish grid, the accessory storage facilities and technologies required for renewable energy industry and their possible sites are also discussed. According to FREDSThe government of UK has set a target to cut CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050 to achieve which 30-40% of electricity would have to be generated from renewable energy resources. This requires that Scotland generate 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Friends of the Earth Scotland point out that demand scenarios can be either of demand growth or of demand reduction. In the Demand Growth scenario, demand is expected to grow again in 2011 as the present recession is about to be over and the projected demand will attain a steady growth of 12.2% corresponding to 45,900GWh annually by 2030. In the Demand Reduction scenario, the demand will start diminishing from 2012 resulting in an annual electricity consumption of only up to 35,180GWh by 2030.The projected values for demand growth and demand reduction in a Low Renewable scenario and High renewable scenario are shown at Table-1 while renewable energy generation as a percentage of total consumption is shown at Table-2.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Beowulf Deeper Understanding Essay Example for Free

Beowulf Deeper Understanding Essay In the epic poem Beowulf there is a more universal understanding that can be seen once a reader has taken the time to look deeper into the text of the poem. A characters intentions are not always seen instantaneously. To understand the full meaning of why someone might go out of their way to help another is not always in the kindness of their own heart. A more intense and complicated plot is behind the thoughts of a character named Beowulf. Everything he does always has a catch to it and requires more then a personal thank you. In the poem Beowulf has three battles against foes. The first foe that he encountered was the man beast Grendel. Grendel lived in Denmark, which was a great distance from Beowulfs homeland. On his journey to Grendel he came upon and slayed nicors. Nicors are sea demons and their occurrence in his journey brought Beowulf more honors. The significance of Beowulfs journey and the killing of those beasts was that they brought him glory. This glory was not only shown through his pride although it was also shown through the inhabatince of the land towards Beowulf. The people of the land also gave him precious gifts. These gifts brought out the self-centered and materialistic sides of Beowulf. He didnt slay Grendel to help the people, because his intentions of getting a reward were not accepted out of the kindness of his heart. They were accepted in the sense that he knew that he deserved them and that they should be required to pay him tribute to his greatness. The following foe the Beowulf slayed was Grendels mother. His mother wasnt of any threat to the Danes until Beowulf killed her son. This caused a sedate and low key monster to take offense to the people who she has never tried to revenge against. Beowulfs ways in which he killed Grendel would be offensive to any parent either human or beast. When your sons arm is seen lying torn off his body symbolizing the greatness of his death and the excellence of a human being revenge is the only answer to the situation. The point in which Beowulf was trying to make when killing Grendels mother was that he was showing them that he not only got rid of their biggest  problem but he got rid of the following problem as well. He knew that if he slayed the mother following the son that a more exceptional reward would be given to him. The battle with the mother was more intense then the battle with Grendel because it took place underwater and in that place Beowulf found the deceased body of Grendel. To tip off his fame amongst the Danes he cut off Gredels head and returned home with it to signify his notability once again. Since the first and second beasts were off the hands of the Danes and Beowulf has receive enough personal gratification to meet his needs he now travels back home. All of his gifts of gratitude are brought back with him and a few outstanding items are given to the king in honor of Beowulfs loyalty towards him, although his intentions are not what they seem. His true intentions are to rule the kingdom and he does get his wish once the king dies in battle. While Beowulf is king the people gain much security in him due to his strength in battle. Knowing that Beowulf is less likely to be defeated in battle causes the people to want to treat him better because of the protection that he posses. The last foe the Beowulf goes into battle with is the fire-breathing dragon. The dragon has been in slumber for 300 years until one of Beowulfs peasants disturbs him by stealing his gold from his cave. Once this occurs the dragon periodically comes out of the cave and torments the Geats. Since the dragon is disturbing Beowulfs people he takes it upon himself to slay the dragon, although this will end up being the last battle that he is going to be alive to fight in. Once he returns home he dies shortly after asking to see the treasure that he has won from fighting the dragon. In the battle between the dragon and Beowulf him wanting to see his treasure before he dies acknowledges his materialistic ways. He doesnt ask to see any of his loved ones of the people who have been with him along his journeys, he asks to see what is in his possession before he dies. Beginning the battle he shows his loyalty to his people although his people dont show loyalty towards him because when he went to fight the dragon majority of them ran away. Therefore, Beowulfs dignity and strength traits are not  passed on to majority his people and they are only supporting him when they are not involved in dangerous battles. Beowulf wanted to be appreciated. He knew that his strength was rare and he wanted to be treated as a rare stone would be treated. Everything that he did had to be praised and had to have treasure in the end or it wouldnt be good enough for Beowulf. The fact that he made his people build him a grave and put all of his treasures in it with him shows that his peoples love towards him was not voluntary given. He forced the people to understand that with out him they were nothing and that they would be unable to survive in battle with out him. I believe that he made himself out to be more then he was to make himself feel more out of the crowd then anyone else that obtained a special talent. A persons innermost feelings are never clearly visible physically. To understand how a person thinks and why they feel the way that they feel is a very hard task. One may never understand the human feelings and what their results may concluded too, although ones inner thoughts or feelings (such as Beowulfs) may bring upon a deeper level of frustration. In the epic poem of Beowulf such human actions are expresses once a reader looks deeper into the poems story to see that there are more interpretations that can be made on a larger, more universal level.

Monday, January 20, 2020

An Analysis of Roland Barthes’ Death of the Author Essay -- Death of th

An Analysis of Roland Barthes’ Death of the Author â€Å"The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author.† – Roland Barthes Must the Author be dead to make way for the birth of the reader? In Roland Barthes’ essay â€Å"The Death of the Author,† Barthes asserts that the Author is dead because the latter is no longer a part of the deep structure in a particular text. To him, the Author does not create meaning in the text: one cannot explain a text by knowing about the person who wrote it. A text, however, cannot physically exist disconnected from the Author who writes it. Even if the role of the Author is to mix pre-existing signs, it does not follow that the Author-function is dead. Moreover, Barthes attributes â€Å"authorship† to the reader who forms meaning and understanding. The reader is, however, an abstraction â€Å"without history, biography, psychology†(Barthes 1469). These contexts – history, biography, and psychology – can only be set by the Author. Thus, the Author is alive and well because the text cannot exist without the Author, the mix ing of signs is the Author’s art, and the reader’s meanings forming abilities are nourished by the Author. According to Barthes’ notion of the â€Å"cut-off hand,† a text’s origin is language itself (Barthes 1468). Moreover, â€Å"linguistically, the author is never more than the instance writing, just as I is nothing other than the instance saying I: language knows a ‘subject’, not a ‘person’† (Barthes 1467). What about the Author’s physical presence? Certainly, language itself does not know its physical creator, but it is akin to shutting one’s eyes on reality to not acknowledge the Author who is â€Å"out there.† Because his texts were considered â€Å"da... ...r-Response Criticism.† October 1998. The College of New Rochelle. March 27, 2004 . O’Brien, John. Milan Kundera and feminism: Dangerous intersections. Minnesota: University of Minnesota, 1995. Project Gutenberg. â€Å"What books will I find in Project Gutenberg?† March 28, 2004 . Zilcosky, John. â€Å"The Revenge of the Author: Paul Auster’s Challenge to Theory.† Studies in Contemporary Fiction 39, 3 (Spring 1998): 195-207. 1 â€Å"Himself†, â€Å"him†, â€Å"his†, and â€Å"he† are used for brevity in expressing pronouns of both the male and female genders. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1][1] â€Å"Himself†, â€Å"him†, â€Å"his†, and â€Å"he† are used for brevity in expressing pronouns of both the male and female genders.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 8

Chapter 8 I've managed to sneak into the bathroom long enough to read a few chapters of this New Testament that they've added to the Bible. This Matthew fellow, who is obviously not the Matthew that we knew, seems to have left out quite a little bit. Like everything from the time Joshua was born to the time he was thirty!!! No wonder the angel brought me back to write this book. This Matthew fellow hasn't mentioned me yet, but I'm still in the early chapters. I have to ration myself to keep the angel from getting suspicious. Today he confronted me when I came out of the bathroom. â€Å"You are spending a lot of time in there. You don't need to spend so much time in there.† â€Å"I told you, cleanliness is very important to my people.† â€Å"You weren't bathing. I would have heard the water running.† I decided that I needed to go on the offensive if I was going to keep the angel from finding the Bible. I ran across the room, leapt onto his bed, and fastened my hands around his throat – choking him as I chanted: â€Å"I haven't been laid in two thousand years. I haven't been laid in two thousand years. I haven't been laid in two thousand years.† It felt good, there was a rhythm to it, I sort of squoze his throat a bit with every syllable. I paused for a moment in choking the heavenly host to backhand him across his alabaster cheek. It was a mistake. He caught my hand. Then grabbed me by the hair with his other hand and calmly climbed to his feet, lifting me into the air by my hair. â€Å"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,† I said. â€Å"So, you have not been laid in two thousand years? What does that mean?† â€Å"Ow, ow, ow, ow,† I replied. The angel set me on my feet, but kept his grasp on my hair. â€Å"So?† â€Å"It means that I haven't had a woman in two millennia, aren't you picking up any of the vocabulary from the television?† He glanced at the TV, which, of course, was on. â€Å"I don't have your gift of tongues. What does that have to do with choking me?† â€Å"I was choking you because you, once again, are as dense as dirt. I haven't had sex in two thousand years. Men have needs. What the hell do you think I'm doing in the bathroom all of that time?† â€Å"Oh,† the angel said, releasing my hair. â€Å"So you are†¦You have been†¦There is a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Get me a woman and maybe I won't spend so much time in the bathroom, if you get my meaning.† Brilliant misdirection, I thought. â€Å"A woman? No, I cannot do that. Not yet.† â€Å"Yet? Does that mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh look,† the angel said, turning from me as if I was no more than vapor, â€Å"General Hospital is starting.† And with that, my secret Bible was safe. What did he mean by â€Å"yet†? At least this Matthew mentions the Magi. One sentence, but that's one more than I've gotten in his Gospel so far. Our second day in Jerusalem we went to see the great Rabbi Hillel. (Rabbi means teacher in Hebrew – you knew that, right?) Hillel looked to be a hundred years old, his beard and hair were long and white, and his eyes were clouded over, his irises milk white. His skin was leathery-brown from sitting in the sun and his nose was long and hooked, giving him the aspect of a great, blind eagle. He held class all morning in the outer courtyard of the Temple. We sat quietly, listening to him recite from the Torah and interpret the verses, taking questions and engaging in arguments with the Pharisees, who tried to infuse the Law into every minute detail of life. Toward the end of Hillel's morning lectures, Jakan, the camel-sucking husband-to-be of my beloved Maggie, asked Hillel if it would be a sin to eat an egg that had been laid on the Sabbath. â€Å"What are you, stupid? The Lord doesn't give a damn what a chicken does on the Sabbath, you nimrod! It's a chicken. If a Jew lays an egg on the Sabbath, that's probably a sin, come see me then. Otherwise don't waste my friggin' time with that nonsense. Now go away, I'm hungry and I need a nap. All of you, scram.† Joshua looked at me and grinned. â€Å"He's not what I expected,† he whispered. â€Å"Knows a nimrod when he sees – uh – hears one, though,† I said. (Nimrod was an ancient king who died of suffocation after he wondered aloud in front of his guards what it would be like to have your own head stuck up your ass.) A boy younger than us helped the old man to his feet and began to lead him away toward the Temple gate. I ran up and took the priest's other arm. â€Å"Rabbi, my friend has come from far away to talk to you. Can you help him?† The old man stopped. â€Å"Where is your friend?† â€Å"Right here.† â€Å"Then why isn't he talking for himself? Where do you come from, kid?† â€Å"Nazareth,† Joshua said, â€Å"but I was born in Bethlehem. I am Joshua bar Joseph.† â€Å"Oh yeah, I've talked to your mother.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Sure, almost every time she and your father come to Jerusalem for a feast she tries to see me. She thinks you're the Messiah.† Joshua swallowed hard. â€Å"Am I?† Hillel snorted. â€Å"Do you want to be the Messiah?† Joshua looked at me as if I might have the answer. I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know,† Josh finally said. â€Å"I thought I was just supposed to do it.† â€Å"Do you think you're the Messiah?† â€Å"I'm not sure I should say.† â€Å"That's smart,† Hillel said. â€Å"You shouldn't say. You can think you're the Messiah all that you want, just don't tell anyone.† â€Å"But if I don't tell them, they won't know.† â€Å"Exactly. You can think you're a palm tree if you want, just don't tell anyone. You can think you're a flock of seagulls, just don't tell anyone. You get my meaning? Now I have to go eat. I'm old and I'm hungry and I want to go eat now, so just in case I die before supper I won't go hungry.† â€Å"But he really is the Messiah,† I said. â€Å"Oh yeah,† Hillel said, grabbing my shoulder, then feeling for my head so he could scream into my ear. â€Å"What do you know? You're an ignorant kid. How old are you? Twelve? Thirteen?† â€Å"Thirteen.† â€Å"How could you, at thirteen, know anything? I'm eighty-four and I don't know shit.† â€Å"But you're wise,† I said. â€Å"I'm wise enough to know that I don't know shit. Now go away.† â€Å"Should I ask the Holy of Holies?† Joshua said. Hillel swung at the air, as if to slap Joshua, but missed by a foot. â€Å"It's a box. I saw it when I could still see, and I can tell you that it's a box. And you know what else, if there were tablets in it, they aren't there now. So if you want to talk to a box, and probably be executed for trying to get into the chamber where it's kept, you go right ahead.† The breath seemed to be knocked out of Joshua's body and I thought he would faint on the spot. How could the greatest teacher in all of Israel speak of the Ark of the Covenant in such a way? How could a man who obviously knew every word of the Torah, and all the teachings written since, how could he claim not to know anything? Hillel seemed to sense Joshua's distress. â€Å"Look, kid, your mother says that some very wise men came to Bethlehem to see you when you were born. They obviously knew something that no one else knew. Why don't you go see them? Ask them about being the Messiah.† â€Å"So you aren't going to tell him how to be the Messiah?† I asked. Again Hillel reached out for Joshua, but this time without any anger. He found Joshua's cheek, and stroked it with his palsied hand. â€Å"I don't believe there will be a Messiah, and at this point, I'm not sure it would make a difference to me. Our people have spent more time in slavery or under the heels of foreign kings than we have spent free, so who is to say that it is God's will that we be free at all? Who is to say that God concerns himself with us in any way, beyond allowing us to be? I don't think that he does. So know this, little one. Whether you are the Messiah, or you become a rabbi, or even if you are nothing more than a farmer, here is the sum of all I can teach you, and all that I know: treat others as you would like to be treated. Can you remember that?† Joshua nodded and the old man smiled. â€Å"Go find your wise men, Joshua bar Joseph.† What we did was stay in the Temple while Joshua grilled every priest, guard, even Pharisee about the Magi who had come to Jerusalem thirteen years before. Evidently it wasn't as big an event for others as it was for Josh's family, because no one had any idea what he was talking about. By the time he'd been at it for a couple of hours he was literally screaming into the faces of a group of Pharisees. â€Å"Three of them. Magicians. They came because they saw a star over Bethlehem. They were carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Come on, you're all old. You're supposed to be wise. Think!† Needless to say, they weren't pleased. â€Å"Who is this boy who would question our knowledge? He knows nothing of the Torah and the prophets and yet berates us for not remembering three insignificant travelers.† It was the wrong thing to say to Joshua. No one had studied the Torah harder. No one knew scripture better. â€Å"Ask me any question, Pharisee,† Joshua said. â€Å"Ask anything.† In retrospect, after having grown up, somewhat, and having lived, died, and been resurrected from the dust, I realize that there may be nothing more obnoxious than a teenager who knows everything. Certainly, it is a symptom of the age that they think they know everything, but now I have some sympathy for those poor men who challenged Joshua that day at the Temple. Of course, at the time, I shouted, â€Å"Smite the sons-a-bitches, Josh.† He was there for days. Joshua wouldn't even leave to eat, and I went out into the city to bring him back food. First the Pharisees, but later even some of the priests came to quiz Joshua, to try to throw him some question about some obscure Hebrew king or general. They made him recite the lineages from all the books of the Bible, yet he did not waver. Myself, I left him there to argue while I wandered through the holy city looking for Maggie, then, when I couldn't find her, for girls in general. I slept at the camp of my parents, assuming all the time that Joshua was returning each night to his own family, but I was wrong. When the Passover feast was over and we were packing up to leave, Mary, Joshua's mother, came to me in a panic. â€Å"Biff. Have you seen Joshua?† The poor woman was distraught. I wanted to comfort her so I held my arms out to give her a comforting embrace. â€Å"Poor Mary, calm down. Joshua is fine. Come, let me give you a comforting embrace.† â€Å"Biff!† I thought she might slap me. â€Å"He's at the Temple. Jeez, a guy tries to be compassionate and what does he get?† She had already taken off. I caught up to her as she was dragging Joshua out of the Temple by the arm. â€Å"You worried us half to death.† â€Å"You should have known you would find me in my father's house,† Joshua said. â€Å"Don't you pull that ‘my father' stuff on me, Joshua bar Joseph. The commandment says honor thy father and thy mother. I'm not feeling honored right now, young man. You could have sent a message, you could have stopped by the camp.† Joshua looked at me, his eyes pleading for me to help him out. â€Å"I tried to comfort her, Josh, but she wouldn't have it.† Later I found the two of them on the road to Nazareth and Joshua motioned for me to walk with them. â€Å"Mother thinks we may be able to find at least one of the Magi, and if we find that one, he may know where the others are.† Mary nodded, â€Å"The one named Balthasar, the black one, he said he came from a village north of Antioch. He was the only one of the three that spoke any Hebrew.† I didn't feel confident. Although I'd never seen a map, â€Å"north of Antioch† sounded like a large, unspecific, and scary place. â€Å"Is there more?† â€Å"Yes, the other two had come from the East by the Silk Road. Their names were Melchior and Gaspar.† â€Å"So it's off to Antioch,† Joshua said. He seemed completely satisfied with the information his mother had given him, as if all he needed were the three Magi's names and he'd as much as found them. I said, â€Å"You're going to go to Antioch assuming that someone there will remember a man who may have lived north of there thirteen years ago?† â€Å"A magician,† Mary said. â€Å"A rich, Ethiopian magician. How many can there be?† â€Å"Well, there might not be any, did you think of that? He might have died. He might have moved to another city.† â€Å"In that case, I will be in Antioch,† Joshua said. â€Å"From there I can travel the Silk Road until I find the other two.† I couldn't believe my ears. â€Å"You're not going alone.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"But Josh, you're helpless out in the world. You only know Nazareth, where people are stupid and poor. No offense, Mary. You'll be like – uh – like a lamb among wolves. You need me along to watch out for you.† â€Å"And what do you know that I don't? Your Latin is horrible, your Greek is barely passable, and your Hebrew is atrocious.† â€Å"Yeah. If a stranger comes up to you on the road to Antioch and asks you how much money you are carrying, what do you tell him?† â€Å"That will depend on how much I am carrying.† â€Å"No it won't. You haven't enough for a crust of bread. You are a poor beggar.† â€Å"But that's not true.† â€Å"Exactly.† Mary put her arm around her son's shoulders. â€Å"He has a point, Joshua.† Joshua wrinkled his brow as if he had to think about it, but I could tell that he was relieved that I wanted to go along. â€Å"When do you want to leave?† â€Å"When did Maggie say she was getting married?† â€Å"In a month.† â€Å"Before then. I don't want to be here when it happens.† â€Å"Me either,† Joshua said. And so we spent the next few weeks preparing for our journey. My father thought I was crazy, but my mother seemed happy to have the extra space in the house and pleased that the family wouldn't have to put up a bride price to marry me off right away. â€Å"So you'll be gone how long?† Mother asked. â€Å"I don't know. It's not a terribly long journey to Antioch, but I don't know how long we'll be there. Then we'll be traveling the Silk Road. I'm guessing that that's a long journey. I've never seen any silk growing around here.† â€Å"Well, take a wool tunic in case it gets cold.† And that was all I heard from my mother. Not â€Å"Why are you going?† Not â€Å"Who are you looking for?† Just â€Å"Take a wool tunic.† Jeez. My father was more supportive. â€Å"I can give you a little money to travel with, or we could buy you a donkey.† â€Å"I think the money would be better. A donkey couldn't carry both of us.† â€Å"And who are these fellows you're looking for?† â€Å"Magicians, I think.† â€Å"And you want to talk to magicians because†¦?† â€Å"Because Josh wants to know how to be the Messiah.† â€Å"Oh, right. And you believe that Joshua is the Messiah?† â€Å"Yes, but more important than that, he's my friend. I can't let him go alone.† â€Å"And what if he's not the Messiah? What if you find these magicians and they tell you that Joshua is not what you think he is, that he's just a normal boy?† â€Å"Well, he'll really need me to be there, then, won't he?† My father laughed. â€Å"Yes, I guess he will. You come back, Levi, and bring your friend the Messiah with you. Now we'll have to set three empty places at the table on Passover. One for Elijah, one for my lost son, and one for his pal the Messiah.† â€Å"Well, don't seat Joshua next to Elijah. If those guys start talking religion we'll never have any peace.† It came down to only four days before Maggie's wedding before Joshua and I accepted that one of us would have to tell her we were leaving. After nearly a whole day of arguing, it fell upon me to go to her. I saw Joshua face down fears in himself that would have broken other men, but taking bad news to Maggie was one he couldn't overcome. I took the task on myself and tried to leave Joshua with his dignity. â€Å"You wuss!† â€Å"How can I tell her that it's too painful to watch her marry that toad?† â€Å"First, you're insulting toads everywhere, and second, what makes you think it's any easier for me?† â€Å"You're tougher than I am.† â€Å"Oh, don't try that. You can't just roll over and expect me to not notice that I'm being manipulated. She's going to cry. I hate it when she cries.† â€Å"I know,† Josh said. â€Å"It hurts me too. Too much.† Then he put his hand on my head and I suddenly felt better, stronger. â€Å"Don't try your Son of God mumbo jumbo on me, you're still a wuss.† â€Å"If it be so, so be it. So it shall be written.† Well, it is now, Josh. It's written now. (It's strange, the word â€Å"wuss† is the same in my ancient Aramaic tongue as it is in this language. Like the word waited for me these two thousand years so I could write it down here. Strange.) Maggie was washing clothes in the square with a bunch of other women. I caught her attention by jumping on the shoulders of my friend Bartholomew, who was gleefully exposing himself for the viewing pleasure of the Nazarene wives. With a subtle toss of my head I signaled to Maggie to meet me behind a nearby stand of date palms. â€Å"Behind those trees?† Maggie shouted. â€Å"Yeah,† I replied. â€Å"You bringing the idiot?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Okay,† she said, and she handed her washing to one of her younger sisters and scampered to the trees. I was surprised to see her smiling so close to the time of her wedding. She hugged me and I could feel the heat rise in my face, either from shame or love, like there was a difference. â€Å"Well, you're in a good mood,† I said. â€Å"Why not? I'm using them all up before the wedding. Speaking of which, what are you two bringing me for a present? It had better be good if it's going to make up for who I have to marry.† She was joyful and there was music and laughter in her voice, pure Maggie, but I had to turn away. â€Å"Hey, I was only joking,† she said. â€Å"You guys don't need to bring me anything.† â€Å"We're leaving, Maggie. We won't be there.† She grabbed my shoulder and forced me to face her. â€Å"You're leaving? You and Joshua? You're going away?† â€Å"Yes, before your wedding. We're going to Antioch, and from there far into the East along the Silk Road.† She said nothing. Tears welled up in her eyes and I could feel them rising in mine as well. This time she turned away. â€Å"We should have told you before, I know, but really we only decided at Passover. Joshua is going to find the Magi who came to his birth, and I'm going with him because I have to.† She wheeled on me. â€Å"You have to? You have to? You don't have to. You can stay and be my friend and come to my wedding and sneak down to talk to me here or in the vineyard and we can laugh and tease and no matter how horrible it is being married to Jakan, I'll have that. I'll at least have that!† I felt as if I'd be sick to my stomach any second. I wanted to tell her that I'd stay, that I'd wait, that if there was the slightest chance that her life wasn't going to be a desert in the arms of her creep husband that I could hold hope. I wanted to do whatever I could to take away even a little bit of her pain, even up to letting Joshua go by himself, but in thinking that, I realized that Joshua must have been feeling the same thing, so all I said was â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"And what about Joshua, wasn't he even going to say good-bye?† â€Å"He wanted to, but he couldn't. Neither of us can, I mean, we didn't want to have to watch you marry Jakan.† â€Å"Cowards. You two deserve each other. You can hide behind each other like Greek boys. Just go. Get away from me.† I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was a soup of confusion so I hung my head and walked away. I was almost out of the square when Maggie caught up to me. I heard her footsteps and turned. â€Å"Tell him to meet me behind the synagogue, Biff. The night before my wedding, an hour after sunset.† â€Å"I'm not sure, Maggie, he – â€Å" â€Å"Tell him,† she said. She ran back to the well without looking back. So I told Joshua, and on the night before Maggie's wedding, the night before we were to leave on our journey, Joshua packed some bread and cheese and a skin of wine and told me to meet him by the date palms in the square where we would share supper together. â€Å"You have to go,† Joshua said. â€Å"I'm going. In the morning, when you do. What, you think I'd back out now?† â€Å"No, tonight. You have to go to Maggie. I can't go.† â€Å"What? I mean, why?† Sure I'd been heartbroken when Maggie had asked to see Joshua and not me, but I'd come to terms with it. Well, as well as one ever comes to terms with an ongoing heartbreak. â€Å"You have to take my place, Biff. There's almost no moon tonight, and we are about the same size. Just don't say much and she'll think it's me. Maybe not as smart as normal, but she can put that down to worry over the upcoming journey.† â€Å"I'd love to see Maggie, but she wants to see you, why can't you go?† â€Å"You really don't know?† â€Å"Not really.† â€Å"Then just take my word for it. You'll see. Will you do this for me, Biff? Will you take my place, pretend to be me?† â€Å"That would be lying. You never lie.† â€Å"Now you're getting righteous on me? I won't be lying. You will be.† â€Å"Oh. In that case, I'll go.† But there wasn't even time to deceive. It was so dark that night that I had to make my way slowly through the village by starlight alone, and as I rounded the corner to the back of our small synagogue I was hit with a wave of sandalwood and lemon and girl sweat, of warm skin, a wet mouth over mine, arms around my back and legs around my waist. I fell backward on the ground and there was in my head a bright light, and the rest of the world existed in the senses of touch and smell and God. There, on the ground behind the synagogue, Maggie and I indulged desires we had carried for years, mine for her, and hers for Joshua. That neither of us knew what we were doing made no difference. It was pure and it happened and it was marvelous. And when we finished we lay there holding each other, half dressed, breathless, and sweating, and Maggie said, â€Å"I love you, Joshua.† â€Å"I love you, Maggie,† I said. And ever so slightly she loosened her embrace. â€Å"I couldn't marry Jakan without – I couldn't let you go without – without letting you know.† â€Å"He knows, Maggie.† Then she really pulled away. â€Å"Biff?† â€Å"Uh-oh.† I thought she might scream, that she might leap up and run away, that she might do any one of a hundred things to take me from heaven to hell, but after only a second she nuzzled close to me again. â€Å"Thank you for being here,† she said. We left at dawn, and our fathers walked with us as far as the gates of Sepphoris. When we parted at the gates my father gave me a hammer and chisel to carry with me in my satchel. â€Å"With that you can make enough for a meal anywhere you go,† my father said. Joseph gave Joshua a wooden bowl. â€Å"Out of that you can eat the meal that Biff earns.† He grinned at me. By the gates of Sepphoris I kissed my father for the last time. By the gates of Sepphoris we left our fathers behind and went out into the world to find three wise men. â€Å"Come back, Joshua, and make us free,† Joseph shouted to our backs. â€Å"Go with God,† my own father said. â€Å"I am, I am,† I shouted. â€Å"He's right here.† Joshua said nothing until the sun was high in the sky and we stopped to share a drink of water. â€Å"Well?† Joshua said. â€Å"Did she know it was you?† â€Å"Yes. Not at first, but before we parted. She knew.† â€Å"Was she angry at me?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Was she angry at you?† I smiled. â€Å"No.† â€Å"You dog!† he said. â€Å"You really should ask that angel what he meant about you not knowing a woman, Joshua. It's really important.† â€Å"You know now why I couldn't go.† â€Å"Yes. Thanks.† â€Å"I'll miss her,† Joshua said. â€Å"You have no idea,† I said. â€Å"Every detail. I want to know every detail.† â€Å"But you aren't supposed to know.† â€Å"That's not what the angel meant. Tell me.† â€Å"Not now. Not while I can still smell her on my arms.† Joshua kicked at the dirt. â€Å"Am I angry with you, or happy for you, or jealous of you? I don't know? Tell me!† â€Å"Josh, right now, for the first time I can remember, I'm happier being your friend than I would be being you. Can I have that?† Now, thinking about that night with Maggie behind the synagogue, where we stayed together until it was nearly dawn, where we made love again and again and fell asleep naked on top of our clothes – now, when I think of that, I want to run away from here, this room, this angel and his task, find a lake, dive down, and hide from the eye of God in the dark muck on the bottom. Strange.